In order to most effectively intervene in adolescent drug abuse, it is important to have a complete understanding of how individual, social, and treatment factors interact to affect drug-use trajectories for adolescents at different maturation levels. Health service research (HSR) is a multidisciplinary field that can deliver this comprehensive view of adolescent drug use. The current article discusses the status of HSR as it pertains to the availability, accessibility, and opportunity of effective drug treatment for adjudicated adolescent drug users. The scope and nature of the adolescent drug abuse problem is reviewed followed by a comparison of adolescent and adult drug users. The challenges of treating adolescent drug users, particularly adjudicated adolescent drug users, are compared to the challenges of treating an adult population. Selected research findings on the treatment of adjudicated adolescent drug users are presented and include findings on the effectiveness of treatment delivery and the quality of interventions offered to this population. Findings pertaining to the organization and management of treatment services for adjudicated adolescent drug users are offered, including staffing and financial challenges. Future directions in research are identified and include the need to conduct in-depth analyses on the economics and financing of treatment services serving adjudicated populations. Glossary, references